Parvathi Kumar
Parvathi Kumar was born and raised in eastern Canada, initiated as a teen in manual SLR film photography by her mother, gaining valuable darkroom experience in high school. Parvathi was largely self-taught, following her photo passion for over three decades, and working as a professional freelance photographer in the last decade. Despite two technical degrees and doing IT software development until 2007, she always kept up her need to document and create photographically. Her work includes fine art
photography, commercial photography (portraits & events), graphic design and photo book design. She exhibits her work extensively throughout NJ, other states and Europe, in both solo and group shows, and has earned awards and recognition. Along with regular use of her DSLRs, she creates extensively with her iPhone on “digital mixed media” pieces. She is also now focusing her skills and energy toward documentary photography and meaningful visual storytelling. A certified yoga teacher, classical guitarist, and trained in South Indian classical dance, she lives with her husband and two teen sons in Bridgewater, NJ.
About My Work and the Images:
Until 2012, my photography had very little digital manipulation, other than the occasional Photoshop touch up and experimentation. Soon after acquiring my first iPhone in 2012, the apps and capabilities available at my fingertips were a complete game changer. The ability to stretch my photos in incredible directions within a single app, and then to combine
multiple apps has been creatively fulfilling and continuously evolving.
Hema Bharadwaj
New Jersey based artist, Hema Bharadwaj, explores multiple art languages as she delves deeper into her ‘self’. Her studio work plays with abstraction in reality and divinity in the mundane. She is also found painting on location while traipsing around with her family. She enjoys creating spontaneously with vigor and directness from live storytelling and modeling sessions. Her art is ever evolving and fluid.
About the Collaborations:
Parvathi and Hema are friends and also artists, so it seemed natural to consider collaborating with each other. This new exploration started around the beginning of the pandemic. The lock-down, while stressful in some ways, unlocked possibilities. Hema had been exploring digital painting and Parvathi offered several pieces of hers to ‘play’ with. They decided to send digital files back and forth until the image felt ‘complete’ to both of them. It helped both of them reframe and expand what they would normally do. Collaborative work forces the artist into a space of ‘letting go’. It’s a great way to bring forth unexpected imagery and shows us sides of ourselves that are usually unseen. They present six works created during this most memorable of years.